Bug or insect repellent for personal use has been historically delivered in a number of different ways. For example, it may be sprayed or wiped onto one's skin, sprayed into one's immediate environment, and/or sprayed onto one's clothing. The bug repellent solution is typically volatile so that vapors are emitted which repel bugs away from one's body.
Absorbent substrates saturated with volatile solutions of bug repellent, made in the form of patches, have been available for application to clothing. Typically, a patch containing a volatile solution must be contained in a package which prevents vaporization of the solution prior to application of the patch. U.S. patent application 08/369,068, "Package for Containing and Applying a Bug Repellent Patch" filed Jan. 5, 1995 in the name of Cook et al, discloses a package for containing a bug repellent impregnated patch. The disclosed package enables a user, to apply the patch to a target surface without contacting the patch.
Such patches can have a barrier material between the substrate and a target surface, such as a user's clothing. The barrier material can permit greater volumes of: the volatile solution to be used to provide longer lasting protection from insects. A.-; the amount of solution is increased, however, it is more likely that some of the, solution may leak out of the substrate in liquid form, and possibly soil an item, such as the user's skin or clothing. Accordingly, the amount of solution that can be released in vapor form in a given amount of time, from a given surface area of the article, and for a given amount of liquid initially provided on the article is limited by the desire to prevent soiling of an item by liquid leaking out of the patch.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable, disposable article for providing release of a volatile liquid material, such as liquid insect repellent material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable, disposable article for providing release of a volatile liquid material while minimizing the amount of the liquid material which is transferred to the wearer's skin or clothing when the article is applied to a target surface, such as by pressing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable, disposable article for providing release of a volatile liquid material from a release surface of the article, wherein the release surface has a low contact wetness under a prescribed loading